*This blog post was written in partnership with Metropolis at Metrotown

I have every Santa photo of my girls since our teenage daughters first Christmas. I have all of the photos framed and over the holidays it’s my decorating tradition to display each frame.

This year there will be sixteen frames on display!

I want to continue this tradition for as long as I can. When I look at the photos displayed side by side it really shows how my girls have grown over the years.

In all honesty, it makes me sad when I see how fast they’ve grown, but it also makes me happy knowing I have the photos to cherish.

When people come over during the holidays they always comment on how much they love that I save and display each year with Santa.

I think it’s pretty special too, which is why I’m going to continue the tradition for as long as I can (even if that means I’m squeezing in a bunch of grandchildren in the photo one day.)

We’ve decided Metropolis at Met is now our go-to for Santa photos. We really loved our photo experience last year. For this reason, last week we went back for the second year to have our family Santa photo taken.

Why we love taking our photos with Santa & shopping at Metropolis at Met during the Holiday season.

Santa photos are by donation! ( minimum $3.00) which make the photo experience very affordable for families. Proceeds from the Santa photos go toward the Burnaby Christmas Bureau! In my opinion, this is the best part. The holidays are really about giving back.

The Burnaby Christmas Bureau helps low-income families in Burnaby during the Christmas season by providing toys. They also provide Christmas hampers to low-income seniors who live alone or with their spouse.

2. You receive a digital copy of your photo with Santa within 24 hours!

You can print as many copies as you like. I turned our digital copy into our Holiday cards to give out this season.

3. There’s a ton of things for the kids to do while they wait in line!

The kids can write a letter to Santa and put it in the “letters to Santa box” when they’re done. There is also digital games to play in the line-up.

In addition, the kids are given a free ice cream cone coupon after their photo is done.

4. You can text Guest Services!

I love this because Metropolis is a very large place. Instead of having to walk to guest services when I need to inquire about something, I can simply send them a text.

Shoppers can now text 604-359-9111 to reach Metropolis’ Guest Services for assistance while in the mall or planning their trip to the mall. Inquire about finding a store, mall hours, parking, children’s stroller, and more. This service is available during mall hours.

5. Extended Holiday Hours!

There’s only so many hours in a day and time goes by so fast. I love that Metropolis at Metrotown offers extended hours. This really helps me feel less anxious about not having enough time to get things done.

Burnaby Neighbourhood House and MS Society of BC/Yukon will be offering gift wrapping services by donation starting November 23 to December 24. Allproceeds will go back to the charities. Gift wrap booths are located in front of The DisneyStore on the Ground Level, and in front of Plenty on the Upper Level.

Metropolis’ gift card is available for purchase at Guest Services and their dedicated holiday gift card kiosks. They are redeemable throughout the mall, as well as 22 other Ivanhoe Cambridge shopping centers across Canada. The gift card is also available for purchase online at http://www.metropolisatmetrotown.com.

8. Last but not least, they have an app!

This Metropolis app is seriously the bomb. It has the latest deals, events, you can check your GC balance, and… you can even put into the app where you parked your car!!! I am the worst at remembering where my car is. So this is super handy for me. hehe

*Thank you to Metropolis at Metrotown for helping us keep our Santa photo tradition alive, for giving back to such an important local cause, for making our holiday shopping experience enjoyable, and for helping me remember where my car is parked!